715 at 50 Book Offers Insight On Historic Aaron Home Run

Randy Louis Cox witnessed, on the playing field at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on April 8, 1974, quite possibly the single greatest moment in sports of all-time.

For many baseball fans of a certain age, it's hard to believe that a half century has passed since "Hammerin' Hank" Aaron did what was believed at the time to be unthinkable.  But, when Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth in 1974 to become the all-time Major League Baseball home run king for decades to follow, baseball fans worldwide were watching.

Remember, this was a time when the internet hadn't been invented yet, there was no 24/7 breaking news coverage, and daily newspapers played an important role in delivering news to Americans.

So, when someone as Cox, who was in attendance for the historic event of Aaron surpassing the "Great Bambino" on the home run list, you should listen; or in this case read 715 at 50 - The Night Henry Aaron Changed Baseball and the World Forever (summergamebooks.com).

Every page of 715 at 50 is a first-person account leading up to, and being at the game on April 8, 1974.  This is the only such view of baseball's greatest moment that I know of.  Cox, in 1971, covered the Atlanta Braves as a college student while attending Georgia State University for his journalism class. As luck (or fate) would have it, Cox was in attendance when Aaron swatted his 600th round-tripper.,

When the Braves pay tribute to the National Baseball Hall of Famer (Class of 1982) this April 8th at Truist Park when the New York Mets are in Atlanta for a four-game visit , on the 50th anniversary of the home run heard around the world, Cox easily looks back to when he was among the 53,775 fans in 1974 to watch history be made in front of him.

"(the book) I took a lot from memory.  I took the negatives out of the sleeves after 48 years," Cox said during a recent phone call of his putting together 715 at 50.  "Most of the photographs in the book haven't been published before. Aaron's passing (January 22, 2021) motivated me to get this book published."

Cox tells of his putting together 715 at 50 as a labor of love.  Aaron and New York Yankees' Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle were his baseball heroes of the 1950s. When the Braves relocated from Milwaukee to Atlanta for the 1966 season, Cox became even more interested in his favorite player and the National League club.

As Cox explains in 715 at 50, being in sports journalism at the right time, and in the right place, for him, worked out amazingly in 1974.

"I had only been at the newspaper ( The Valley-Times News in Lanett, Alabama) less than one year.  I called the Braves' publicity man Bob Hope, and requested press credentials," Cox explains on his road to being in-person for Aaron's historic shot heard around the globe.  "When me and my cousin Victor who accompanied me to the game were jockeying for position in the photographers' box, it was a first-come, first-serve situation."

As a 24-year-old journalist and baseball fan, it's hard to believe that there wasn't another reporter present with a bigger, and more long-lasting smile on their face than Cox.  After Aaron became the home run king, Cox went on the playing field to photograph the historic event further, and even shook hands with Aaron.

Former MLB pitcher Buzz Capra, a member of the 1974 Braves who had come over from the New York Mets late in spring training that season, proved to be a great resource for Cox during his researching for 715 at 50.

Aaron hit his 715th home run in the bottom of the fourth inning off of Los Angeles Dodgers' pitcher Al Downing.

Don Laible is a freelance sportswriter from the Mohawk Valley, now living in Florida. He has reported on professional baseball and hockey for print, radio, and on the web since the 1980's. His columns are featured weekly at WIBX950.com. Don can be contacted via email at Don@icechipsdiamonddust.com.